If you know me at all, you know I was positively bouncy during certain scenes, one in particular. But what made this episode so great was there was a lot to love. Yes, as usual I have some quibbles, but the good far outweighed my issues.

The show has definitely taken a sharp turn into mysticism and religion this season. It’s one aspect of the show that’s never interested me much. It was less troublesome for me this week since it was balanced with what was happening politically. My bigger concern is how fate seems to be playing a larger and larger role leaving me to wonder how free will fits into all this. The characters did make choices, but every choice they made led to unforeseen consequences. They meant well, but it all led to disaster. I thought of the line spoken by Fox Mulder in ‘Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose’, “If coincidences are just coincidences, then why do they feel so contrived?”

The big ball of fate biting you in the ass started rolling with Helo. Are we surprised? His plan is to put have the viper wing on the basestar. We have a lull until Lee suggests to Laura she allow Natalie to speak to the Quorum. His idea is not a bad one, if it was Laura would have never followed up on it. Natalie (and Laura) presumably sway the Quorum just enough to let the plan go forward, but in allowing Natalie to view the representatives of the fleet she feels there contempt. Just when you fear her fears have been realized and her plan to renege on the deal is about to come to fruition, she has an epiphany and realizes there can be no trust, no hope, unless the Cylons can prove they can be trusted. But as Natalie is on her way to come clean to Adama, Sharon, in a moment of over-reaction, shoots Natalie. At that exact moment the hybrid is awakened and orders the basestar to jump away with Laura and Baltar aboard. Neither would have been on the ship had not Kara, trying to do the right thing, come to Laura with the Hybrid’s words, “the dying leader shall know the truth of the opera house.”

It’s frustrating because I see all these people doing their best, even Natalie is trying, and it’s as if nothing they choose to do matters because it’s all just going to go to hell. But on the flip side, all the puzzle pieces are starting to fit together. I’m sensing an internal logic even if I’m not entirely happy with it. There seems to be a plan.

I could spend hours dissecting every character and arc that began to come together last night. Sadly, I don’t have the time right now so I shall focus on the aspects that intrigued me and excited me most. (admireddisorder should have some fascinating analysis of Laura and Baltar. Her theory about them being linked and following parallel journeys seems to be coming to fruition. ;)

I know many people have problems with the path that Ron has seemingly been leading us down in recent weeks – a Human/Cylon reconciliation. The two races can only or will only survive if they can live together. In an ideal world this is what we hope for - two civilizations coming together and living in peace. But the world doesn’t work that way, especially when one race slaughtered twenty billion of the other without a second thought. And there has been no indication, with the exception of Caprica and Athena, who are still able to rationalize the Cylon's actions, that the Cylons did anything wrong. There has been no sorrow or regret or, hell, a "We’re sorry." Can I fault the Quorum if they think Laura has lost it?

I, as well as others, have speculated that the only way that the two races would have a chance of co-existing was if the playing field was leveled and the Cylons could no longer resurrect. I have to admit I was a little bit surprised, though pleasantly so, to hear Natalie propose what many saw as the only viable option for potential peace. Granted, their motives are not entirely born of altruism. Natalie bluntly states that they are rebels, and like their enemy, they can’t go home again. Whether or not the hub continues to exist, they will never be reborn again and, again, like their enemy, they want vengeance.

Natalie seemed to have an epiphany upon facing the Quorum. I think she’s beginning to grasp what she was a part of and why these people have such hatred towards them all. Prior to the Quorum meeting, she had only faced the members of the Colonial military and the president. Now, she was confronted with the faces of the people. These were just citizens, chosen to represent what’s left of humanity. As Lee points out to Laura, they live without hope and they fear, not of dying, but of this being their lives. If Lee can see it, learn from it, why not Natalie?

And Natalie as well as the rest of the Cylon rebels had begun to feel a sense of time. They understand that each moment is significant, important, and only has value because time has become limited. They value each moment because they don’t know how many they have left. Another epiphany - to have meaningful lives they must die and not return. I saw Natalie, for a moment, have an understanding of what makes us human. We do spend a lifetime distressing over our mortality, worrying about how or even if we will be remembered and what will we leave behind. What will our footprint be? The Cylons have none of the that. There history doesn’t exist because time doesn’t stop for them. In order to have a future, they have to have a past.

Laura Roslin, my gods, I didn’t think you could be any more awesome. I was wrong. Forgive me. It’s so hard for me to pick a favorite Laura moment. When she has the quite realization that the Cylons could become mortal enemies, it was a wow moment for her and for me.

Then there was her chat with Tory. She knew. And the look on Tory’s face. It’s interesting that Tory can blow a woman out an airlock while holding her child and then lie to her husband’s face and not in the least bit be affected by it all, but having Laura be pissed at her? That’s what crushes her. Even worse she knows Laura will never completely trust her again. She’s now just an office worker, good at her job so Laura won’t replace her, but she’s nothing more to her.

But back to Laura, I’m curious who ratted Tory out to Laura. Part of me wonders it it could have been Lee and they rearranged the sequence of scenes during the editing process. It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part though. I just loved all her turns of phrase (“What is it about the Galactica that gives you such a glow?” “charter member of the nymph squad”) and how she slowly sticks the knife in and then twists it, repeatedly. As close as Tory has been to Laura she failed to learn you do not cross Laura Roslin. I also liked that the scene with Tory helped reinforce why Laura’s current relationship with Lee is the way it is. You betray her and you are cut out of her life.

Lee and Laura. Sigh. I enjoyed the opening scene between them, it was a nice way of reestablishing the continued animosity Laura feels towards Lee and Lee’s continued attempts to try and help her. Coincidently, last night in his radio interview, Jamie talked a bit about the relationship between Lee and Laura. As I watched the Lee/Laura scenes unfold l felt as if I was seeing played out on screen what Jamie had described. In his eyes, Lee has never lost his admiration and respect for Laura. She’s lost her ability to present leadership and you have to present yourself in a way that is palatable to the people. Laura is rightfully a dictator, an autocrat, because, in their current situation there is no room for a government run by democracy and vote, but Laura has forgotten the need to maintain the allusion of involving the people in the process. Lee is trying to help her in that respect and she views it as an attack.

Lee states he takes no pleasure in putting the recording of Baltar before her and that he was practically pushed through the door by the other delegates. I believe him. He doesn’t want to hurt her, he still has a deep respect for her and everything that she has accomplished, but it makes sense that he would be the lamb sent to the slaughter. He was her military adviser. He led a mutiny on her behalf. He was by her side when a third of the fleet took off. There is a connection there, however strained it might be at the moment. The other Quorum members might fear going toe to toe with her, but they also know that Lee has a chance of getting a direct answer from her and to succeed where they have failed.

Unfortunately, Laura, still feeling burned by Lee’s actions at Baltar’s trial, isn’t able to see he is still on her side. “I’m sure you’re quite happy to stay” has entirely different meaning she is unwilling or unable to see.

There was some significant foreshadowing in her words to him in their initial meeting - “For as long as I am in this office, the welfare of this fleet is not something you need to worry about” and “What if it was you instead of me?” At the end of the episode, Laura is gone and, assuming she’ll be gone for awhile, the president's office will need to be filled. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by predicting that Zarek will be sworn in as president and he’ll nominate Lee as his VP. So, Lee will now have some experience as to what it is like to have the fate of the fleet in one's hands. His beliefs will be called into question, probably by himself more so than anyone else.

The scene between the two in the med bay I’d have to call perfect. It’s as if Angeli knew what I’d love to see in a fanfic and he gave it to me in canon. It begins with the two of them just talking. Both taking in Gaeta’s heartbreakingly beautiful voice before Laura, politely, asking Lee how he found her. She assumes he came down there to kiss her ass to get information from her; he just came to talk to her. I just love that he went looking for her, that he wanted to talk to her outside of Colonial One, away from all the politicians and political machinations. He was desperate to get through to her and the only way he could do so was to follow her to a diloxin treatment. Much like Gaeta’s voice, so sad and beautiful.

I love (I'm using this word a lot ;) that Lee is there of his own accord. This has nothing to do with the Quorum. This isn’t a delegate trying to reason with the president. This is Lee talking to Laura and Laura tries immediately to deflect him, to put him down – “I won’t compromise the safety of the fleet to indulge the neediness of twelve perpetual unhappy representatives”. Lee, after taking a moment, decides to take a different approach. He has a unique perspective now. He’s been on the military side, he’s been on the president’s side, and now he’s simply on the people's side. I’m not sure if anyone else can say that. He was anxious during the jump because, for the first time, he was powerless to do anything to protect the fleet. (In the podcast for ‘Six of One’, Ron talked of a deleted scene between Lee and Adama in which Adama explains to Lee how when an attack comes he will be powerless to do anything, he will be on of those that need protecting, it would bother him, and he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.) But even as he faced death in a viper, he fought and saw a glimmer of a chance to go on as he had some control over his situation. This time, unable to do anything but, sit, watch, and wait, he saw how the attacks affected the people. He saw the emptiness and the only way they could cope was by assuming the worst. Hope was gone for them.

Then there is a moment of (re)connection between the two. Laura acknowledged that Lee felt their suffering, now he needed to think about how she tries to hold their lives in the balance every single day. Lee is a smart man, I’m certain he understood that intellectually, but not emotionally until he was part of it. And having met in the middle, he asks her to talk to the Quorum. Lee has the advantage of knowing the person Laura is or at least is capable of being under ideal circumstances. He has seen her compassion and humanity, he was there when they had to make the jump and leave the ships without FTL behind. They need to see the person, the one that shares their concerns but has a certainty that this is the right path, and they need to be part of the process.

And maybe I’m wrong, but when Laura returns to the fleet, which I’m convinced she will at some point, I shall see the Lee and Laura I know and love working together again.

There were a lot of parallels in this episode. Neither Baltar nor Sam could go to Gaeta’s bedside, both men feeling guilty knowing the hell they have put him through. Tyrol being present once more at another Sharon involved shooting. Both Lee and Kara reaching out to the president and Laura willing to listen. Finding out the basestar can still heal itself, but is unable to defend itself - the exact opposite of Galactica which has a full contingent of vipers but has slowly been falling apart over the course of three years. The Cylon leader being on board Galactica as the leader of humanity is taken away on a Cylon ship.

Random thoughts:

They fixed the ring ship! I’ll hand wave where they got all the spare scrap metal.

Sam is really losing it. I loved Trucco’s crazy eyes.

Was Tigh’s calling the Cylons “slit eyed black bastards” suppose to be really offensive, because it was. Not to mention, it made little sense.

That was a cool shot of the vipers in the basestar.

Hera is left alone in their quarters while they're at work? Unless the nanny left right before the start of the scene that’s what it looked like.

I’m confused as to whether Athena meant to kill Natalie or just wanted to make her suffer horribly. She shot her in the stomach, which I hear is extremely painful, rather than in the heart or head. And is anyone going to question Tigh standing by and doing nothing?

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your BSG metas. I'm a new fan and in my desperate search for eloquent fans who could help me tackle all the shiny new canon I stumbled across your journal a few weeks ago. I read practically everything you wrote about the show over the years and waiting for your ep reaction posts to show up is the best moment of my post-ep routine. :D

I just felt I had to thank you for sharing, but now I'll go back to my lurking ways. Hope this didn't come off as creepy.

I read practically everything you wrote about the show over the years and waiting for your ep reaction posts to show up is the best moment of my post-ep routine.

Wow. O_o That is quite the compliment. Thank you! I am really quite touched. You should delurk more often! ;) Me and the other LJers are not all that scary. And I can highly recommend the BSG fans on my Flist for good meta. I'm continually amazed at what others pick up on that I missed.

And I'm always thrilled to hear of new fans. I know BSG can be rather a daunting show to jump into late in the game, but I'm glad you did it. And you seem to be a Lee fan. :)

I'm a lurker by nature, my philosophy is "If you have nothing interesting or new to contribute, then just keep your mouth shut". My usual reaction to a new episode is "Whoa. That was intense. And packed with stuff. Need to rewatch, now".:P

Yeah, BSG is definitely not the most newbie-friendly canon, but a kind friend sent me DVDs and I was able to catch up pretty quickly.

I do like Lee a lot (but then again every BSG character is interesting for a reason or another). Actually I found you because I was looking for somebody whose meta was free from Lee-bashing (clealry I was hanging around in the wrong corner of fandom at the time). And also because my first ship on the show was Laura/Lee.

There is a fair share of Lee bashing. I've seen some ugly stuff over at the SciFi forum (which is why I mostly stay away from it) and I've checked out a few LJs in the past that I quickly surfed away from. I have a lot of Kara fans on my Flist as well as some Lee, Laura, and Tigh fans, but we're all appreciative of the others opinions. I think criticism of the characters is great, even Lee, because it makes me look at the characters and situations in another way, but I hate bashing. I went through that experience in another fandom and never again.

And also because my first ship on the show was Laura/Lee.

Woo! :) It's odd, I think there are more Lee/Laura fans now than when the show first started. It's still not a large group, but it's grown a bit. And even people who don't ship them have missed their interaction together. I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder. ;)

(What is it with people ordering Tory to bed down with Baltar, btw? Just sayin'.)

Well, technically she ordered her on her knees. ;) I did feel the difference here was that Tory was already screwing Baltar, of her own volition, so Laura might as well use that to her advantage. And Tory is now desperate to get back in Laura's good graces which will never happen. I do wonder how Tory will react to Laura and Baltar's abduction? They are the two most important people in her life. And is she out of a job???

THEY WERE IN THE SAME ROOM AND THEY WERE NOT FIGHTING AND INSTEAD SHE TOOK HIS ADVICE AND THERE WAS A STRANGELY SAD AND BEAUTIFUL EMOTIONAL CONNECTION EVEN THOUGH I STILL FEAR THAT THEY ARE DOOMED NEVER TO REALLY TRUST EACH OTHER AGAIN BECAUSE SHE IS TOO BITTER AND HE CAN NO LONGER SEE HER AS AN UNASSAILABLE SYMBOL.

THEY ARE SO HUMAN.

I WOULD APOLOGISE FOR THE CAPSLOCK BUT I AM NOT SORRY!

YOU HAVE WONDERFUL POINTS ABOUT THE POLITICS AND I AGREE WITH THEM ALL ESPECIALLY THE WELCOME BUT ANVILICIOUS WAY THAT ROSLIN WAS TALKING ABOUT THE BURDENS OF POLITICAL LEADERSHIP. BUT I CANNOT COMMENT IN A COHERENT FASHION BECAUSE I HAVE BECOME INFECTED BY CAPSLOCKS. SO I WILL JUST SMILE AND NOT AND POINT AND SAY YES, YES, BUT THEY WERE IN THE SAME ROOM.

Ahem.

One non-CAPS point -

Was Tigh’s calling the Cylons “slit eyed black bastards” suppose to be really offensive, because it was. Not to mention, it made little sense.

I thought it was too. I also assumed it was a reference to the film of nearly the same name and the racism issues it addresses?

But yeah, it stood out as an attempt to be offensive because, like you say, it's not even accurate and it's...really close to the knuckle in terms of sounding like a currently racially offensive term. Not made-up like "Toaster."

I was at the point that if Lee and Laura were simply in a room together and speaking to each other, even in anger, I was going to be happy, but the show gave me EXACTLY THE TYPE OF SCENE I WANTED! Ok, they'll never have a romantic relationship on screen, but there is no doubt, IN CANON, that these two have a special bond. Other than Adama, on a good day, could anyone have reached her like Lee did? ::hugs show::

As for Tigh's words, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the film you reference, but maybe it was a calculated choice of words. However, i was one of those 'take me out of the moment' moments because it struck me as a very racist thing to say in our society and it made little sense to use that as a slur against the Cylons, either model. And Head Six established early on that "toasters" was about the worst thing you could call the Cylons. The way Angeli had Laura use the word "frak" made little sense as well.

but there is no doubt, IN CANON, that these two have a special bond. Other than Adama, on a good day, could anyone have reached her like Lee did? ::hugs show::

AND she told him the TRUTH about her visions, just...she gave up that secret. I doubt she's even told Adama. She sure as hell didn't tell Tory. OH SHOW.

The film is a famous Katheryn Hepburn/Sydney Poitier film that was a drama/comedy about a woman who goes on holiday and gets engaged nine days after meeting Sydney Poitier, a black doctor. Then takes him home to visit her parents and racial prejudicial commentary ensues. It's called "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

Anyway, I do actually agree with you, it pulled me out of the moment as well, even though I assumed it was a reference to the movie.

I like your thinking! :) I really need to start working on some fan fic...

Oh, I know the film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I've seen it a few times. I was confused. I thought you meant Tigh's racial slur was similar to the title of a film and I thought there was some documentary out there about bigotry I hadn't heard of. ;)

The show has definitely taken a sharp turn into mysticism and religion this season. It’s one aspect of the show that’s never interested me much. It was less troublesome for me this week since it was balanced with what was happening politically.Agreed! The mysticism/destiny/etc didn't make my eyes glaze over this time, since they dealt with it in terms of "real world" issues for the fleet and how it affects the people.

Part of me wonders it it could have been Lee and they rearranged the sequence of scenes during the editing process. It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part though.I thought that too, or maybe it was just my assumption that Laura would find out that way, since Lee saw Tory at one of Baltar's nymph meetings. :) But I wouldn't put it past Laura to just KNOW that Tory was with Baltar because that's just how brilliant she is.

Laura has forgotten the need to maintain the allusion of involving the people in the process. Lee is trying to help her in that respect

They need to see the person, the one that shares their concerns but has a certainty that this is the right path, and they need to be part of the process.

I really liked this aspect of their scenes together. Somewhere along the way Laura forgot about that part of being a leader, of working WITH the Quorum, or at least keeping them informed and part of the discussion. Lee is only trying to help get her back on track and remind her that this is how a President needs to lead.

Was Tigh’s calling the Cylons “slit eyed black bastards” suppose to be really offensive, because it was.Yeah, I pretty much cringed when he said that. It's like they used those particular words because they related to real-life racial slurs and would hit a nerve. Otherwise, that phrase isn't really the best descriptor of the Cylons.

I thought that too, or maybe it was just my assumption that Laura would find out that way, since Lee saw Tory at one of Baltar's nymph meetings. :) But I wouldn't put it past Laura to just KNOW that Tory was with Baltar because that's just how brilliant she is.

Glad to know it wasn't just my wishful thinking. ;) It's also possible, given how much time Laura has spent on Galactica undergoing treatment, that she's heard people gossiping about Baltar and Tory. After all, it doesn't seem like they've gone to any great lengths to hide their relationship.

Somewhere along the way Laura forgot about that part of being a leader, of working WITH the Quorum, or at least keeping them informed and part of the discussion.

And she's the one that helped reform the government after the attacks! I do understand her having to compromise democratic ideals and losing her way a bit after everything they've been through, but she is becoming in danger of creating laws and handing down declarations that no one will follow.

as usual, i love your take on laura/lee. :) surprisingly, i don't have to add much to my laura/baltar theories, since i've already talked about all of this last week. oh ron, how i love you! :)

i too find myself believing - as i have since before the beginning of the season - that laura and lee will be back together. it's a slow and painful process, but i think that's where they need to be: side by side. and that's totally not the laura/lee shipper in me talking. :)

They've also established that Cylon physiology is better than the humans. Remember how Athena got to fly through the passage because she could tolerate radiation better than humans? And all Cylons seem to be able to take quite the beating. So, I'm hoping that Natalie is able to pull through. I mean, if Adama could recover from essentially the same injury, why not her? And maybe she and Gaeta can bond during recovery. He could use a friend. ;)

Was Tigh’s calling the Cylons “slit eyed black bastards” suppose to be really offensive, because it was. Not to mention, it made little sense.

He's talking about the Raiders (wrong ship) Batman-looking small ships (like Scar)--they really are slit-eyed (red-glowing eye) and black, although are they cylons? Eh... they certainly are the beasts of burden/soldiers of war for the cylons. It never even occurred to me to think of his slur in racial terms, because I was thinking about the battles rather than the people.

It’s so hard for me to pick a favorite Laura moment. When she has the quite realization that the Cylons could become mortal enemies, it was a wow moment for her and for me.

YES! That was such an interesting moment, and to have the Natalie-Six actually confirm that this was their next step... so awesome! Even if it took 'being rebels' for the 2/6/8 cylons to get to this point, I see it as a fantastic step in the right direction (assuming the direction really is to find some sort of peace).

but in allowing Natalie to view the representatives of the fleet she feels there contempt. Just when you fear her fears have been realized and her plan to renege on the deal is about to come to fruition, she has an epiphany and realizes there can be no trust, no hope, unless the Cylons can prove they can be trusted.

That gave me some hope that she's starting to move toward a place where she sees the cycle of vengeance as a problem; as you say, she was able to see the faces of people who hated her for what she had done to them, and they became real for the first time. I agree that the level playing field, all of the combatants mortal, is one of the preconditions for a working relationship between Cylon and human, but another is that realization.

Laura is rightfully a dictator, an autocrat, because, in their current situation there is no room for a government run by democracy and vote, but Laura has forgotten the need to maintain the allusion of involving the people in the process. Lee is trying to help her in that respect and she views it as an attack.

As I said in my own post, I think it was less about Laura forgetting about the need to maintain an illusion of democracy, and more about her forgetting the actual people she's doing this all for, in the fight to keep control. It fit really neatly that Lee was the one to remind her of them, because he's had a pretty strong history of approaching problems by trying to figure out what motivates people, and how to allay fears to get things moving again.

I was positively bouncy during certain scenes, one in particular:D Happy for you, hon!

It’s one aspect of the show that’s never interested me much. It was less troublesome for me this week since it was balanced with what was happening politically.*nods* For me too. It was a great relief to be back to that balance.

I thought of the line spoken by Fox Mulder in ‘Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose’, “If coincidences are just coincidences, then why do they feel so contrived?” HA! I love it. Yes, that's summing it up very well.

It’s frustrating because I see all these people doing their best, even Natalie is trying, and it’s as if nothing they choose to do matters because it’s all just going to go to hell.I think that's actually a big reason why I *liked* this episode, because that's one thing I think BSG's always shown well from the start--how people fuck up, and how even with the best of intentions things go terribly, horribly wrong. It just felt a lot more grounded and realistic (and tragic) than last week's 'magical Cylon destiny!' stuff.

There has been no sorrow or regret or, hell, a "We’re sorry." Can I fault the Quorum if they think Laura has lost it? I can't, and that's another reason this episode worked well--because my sympathies were torn between the Quorum (who pretty much represented my own frustrations at being locked out of this process!) and Laura.

If Lee can see it, learn from it, why not Natalie? *nods* I like the way you sell that moment. I do wish it had been made clear that the Cylons were actually feeling that shift about time and not just saying it as a plea for human sympathy, but I'll try and give Nathalie the benefit of the doubt.

Part of me wonders it it could have been Lee and they rearranged the sequence of scenes during the editing process. It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part thoughI'd love it to be Lee. :D

I believe him. He doesn’t want to hurt her*nods* I believe him too.

Lee will now have some experience as to what it is like to have the fate of the fleet in one's hands. His beliefs will be called into question, probably by himself more so than anyone else. Oh, you know, I hadn't really got there! I admit I wasn't very tuned in to BSG this week after it frakking me over finding it so disappointing last week, and also I was in SV headspace, but yay. Yes! Ok, there IS space for Lee in the next couple of eps. *wipes brow with relief* I had imagined another scenario where we got the basestar (instead of Demetrius) scenes interspersed with more FF-angst.

but when Laura returns to the fleet, which I’m convinced she will at some point, I shall see the Lee and Laura I know and love working together again.I would love that!!! Thanks for giving me hope re. Lee's plot. :D

I do wish it had been made clear that the Cylons were actually feeling that shift about time and not just saying it as a plea for human sympathy, but I'll try and give Nathalie the benefit of the doubt.

As much as we've seen of the Cylons and life on the basestars there is so much we should have been shown that we have not. I could have lived without the threesomes and some of the Hybrid mumbo jumbo. I, too, believed Natalie, but we don't have any hard evidence to support her statements. Maybe if she had reached out to the dying Sharon instead of Sam? Or maybe if we had heard the three (Natalie, Leoben and Sharon) discussing mortality more. Or maybe if after executing the Six last week, Natalie could have spoken more about the cycle of life rather than the human need for retribution. I just feel as if there is a scene missing somewhere.

I can tell you that Lee appeared twice in the promo for the next episode and it was obviously two separate scenes. ;-)

Maybe if she had reached out to the dying Sharon instead of Sam? Or maybe if we had heard the three (Natalie, Leoben and Sharon) discussing mortality more. Or maybe if after executing the Six last week, Natalie could have spoken more about the cycle of life rather than the human need for retribution. I just feel as if there is a scene missing somewhere.Same. Any of those would have helped, I think.

I can tell you that Lee appeared twice in the promo for the next episode and it was obviously two separate scenes. ;-) Wheee! Yeah, I got spoiled for that in dianora2's journal--and happily so. :D :D I am pretty much at the point now where I need a carrot dangled in front of me every week to keep watching. Lee will do nicely. :D

Tigh made the comment in the meeting with Adama, Laura, and Helo while they were discussing whether or not to accept Natalie's offer.

I believe Kara is still on Galactica. Part of me questions why she didn't go with Laura and Baltar, but perhaps Adama wanted her to remain on Galactica to help him plan the mission? Or maybe her plan was to fly over to the basestar later, but then it jumped away.

Part of me questions why she didn't go with Laura and Baltar, but perhaps Adama wanted her to remain on Galactica to help him plan the mission?

Mostly I thought she was on Galactica as well. Because she was on the flight deck wearing her blue uniform when Laura, Baltar, and Helo were leaving for the Basestar. But that was odd since she's the senior Viper pilot. I thought she'd for sure lead the attack from the Basestar!

Because the Vipers had already been strategically placed on the Basestar, I thought the mission is already planned. But, what do I know? ;)

Speaking of Vipers on the Basestar -- did you feel the scene, along with the pilots standing there while the Centurions trod over their path, was kinda fake? I thought the CGI was too obvious. Those pilots, especially the woman at the edge, felt like the 3D animation from a video game.